Reciprocity

As with many other artistic endeavors, many of our connections are reciprocal. We may “write alone,” but we share and share alike. My late mother used to call it “taking in each others’ washing.”

In our social media age, reciprocity is much easier. We can engage in “swaps”, find out what each other is doing, form online communities (Tupelo Press’ 30/30 project and NaNoWriMo come to mind), and generally intersect and exchange with ease. In the end, however, we still have to sit down and write, and there are benefits to face-to-face exchanges: critique groups, classes, in-person sharing of work, readings, and so on.

It’s always amazing to me when people advocate one form of connection over another. The key is to take advantage of both when we can. Perhaps we live in an isolated area and online connections are our only option. Perhaps we have preferences of one type of exchange over another. In the end, if we can expand and reach out, others will reciprocate, and we’ll all benefit.